Category: Baseball

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It has been two profitable weeks as I continue to try to dig myself out of an early-season home-run hole.

I've hit a dinger in five of my last six articles, and today's slate is setting up well for four-baggers and MLB player props.

The Mariners are projected to put up some crooked numbers vs. Mitch Keller and the Pirates, while nobody is swinging a better bat than Pete Crow-Armstrong, and that price vs. Kodai Senga is on the right side of expected value. 

Finally, if a Phillie bat is not on your HR card vs. Zack Littell, are you really betting on homers?

These are my favorite home run props for Tuesday, June 23. 

Best MLB home run props today

Home run pick: Josh Naylor (+660)

Give a bump to the left-handed bats of the Mariners today. Generous winds are blowing out to right field at PNC Park, and the pitching matchup is working in their favor as well. Josh Naylor at +660 is the target.

Mitch Keller has allowed 4+ runs in all but one of his last seven starts, posting a 7.64 ERA over that stretch. At home, he's been even worse, allowing 18 runs in 13+ innings across his last seven starts.

His fly-ball rate is lower than his career average, and his HR/FB rate is starting to normalize after some early-season months of keeping it below 10%. His SIERA and xFIP are both at five-year highs, suggesting these bad times are here to stay. 

Naylor has seen Keller eight times in his career, taking him deep once while hitting .375. I love the Mariners team total Over 4.5 today, and Naylor is one of the better +EV home run props on the board with a fair price closer to +520.

• Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: SportsNet Pittsburgh, Mariners.TV

Home run pick: Pete Crow-Armstrong (+382)

Pete Crow-Armstrong is the hottest hitter in baseball right now. He leads MLB in slugging over the last two weeks at .935, and his .500 ISO trails only Shohei Ohtani.

This is a great price in a game that could feature multiple home runs given the pitching matchup.

Kodai Senga owns the 13th-worst HR/FB rate among MLB starters this season, and only three qualified starters have a worse ground-ball rate. He's allowed multiple home runs in three of his last four starts, and this will be just his second outing after missing three weeks with a spine/arm injury.

Senga may be the biggest pitching target on the slate today, and getting a red-hot hitter at +300 or better in a plus-plus home run matchup is an easy way to make the HR card.

• Time: 7:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: SNY, Marquee Sports Network

Home run pick: Brandon Marsh (+660)

I need a left-handed bat against Zack Littell, who continues to be a gift to home run hitters.

Brandon Marsh went deep yesterday and gets another favorable matchup against Littell, who owns the 19th-worst HR/FB rate among MLB starters and pairs it with a poor 31% groundball rate. Only three other starters have a worse Ideal Attack Angle percentage.

Hitters square Littell up consistently, and he's coming off a start where he allowed four home runs. The left-handed bats won't be hitting straight into the wind like the righties today with the wind blowing in from left field.

Littell is also coming off a 99-pitch outing — his second-highest pitch count of the season and well above his usual workload, which sits around 80 pitches.

I love the Phillies to pile on runs today, and Marsh at +550 or better is making the HR card.

• Time: 6:45 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: NBCSP, Nationals.TV

Today’s HR parlay

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

This isn’t a “how do you feel about Dylan Dodd” post. It’s more about the Braves. Two buckets of facts, and then I’ll add a third.

Bucket the first: in 2025, Dodd had an 85/94/83 line (ERA-/FIP-/xFIP-). That’s not a dominant reliever line, but it is a pretty good one. In 2026 so far, Dodd has an 46/96/83 line. That’s almost identical but for the small-sample ERA deficit. He’s got some HR/FB issues, but they’re not huge in his sample of under 55 innings over the last two seasons.

Bucket the second: in 2025, 85 percent of batters Dodd faced came in low leverage, and less than four percent came in high leverage. Remember that medium leverage is average; low and high leverage are uncommon. Also remember that in 2025, the Braves weren’t really playing for anything for a pretty long part of the season. In 2026, it’s 78 percent low leverage PAs, and one percent (one single batter) in high leverage.

That’s a pretty extreme split considering his performance. It’s perhaps even more stark if you look at actual games. In 2025, Dodd entered the game in high leverage twice, medium leverage three times, and low leverage 23 times. In 2026 so far, Dodd has entered the game in high leverage once, medium leverage twice, and low leverage ten times. It’s not quite pre-2026 Aaron Bummer-esque given Dodd’s homer issues, but it’s similar.

Okay, here’s the third bucket. In 2025, Dodd had six meltdowns to two shutdowns, and a highly negative WPA. To be very clear, WPA isn’t a measure of pitcher quality or pitching performance, and neither are shutdowns or meltdowns. Both are a descriptor of what happens to the team while the pitcher is on the mound, which is very different. But, still, having five 2025 outings that didn’t start in low leverage and six meltdowns is, uh… hmm. And in 2026, Dodd has two shutdowns and two meltdowns, and three non-low-leverage-starting appearances, so… yeah.

Hence, my question. What do you think the Braves think of Dylan Dodd? Is he doomed to low leverage the way Aaron Bummer found himself quickly? Does he have a chance of working out of it? If so, what will it take — beyond the mercy of things working out for him in the WPA department? Do you think there’s a HR/FB reaction here in some direction, too?

After tonight’s game with the Angels, the Orioles will officially reach the 81-game mark of their 2026 campaign. Heading into Game 81, it’s safe to say that the first half of the O’s season has largely been disappointing. Seen by most as a strong wild card contender heading into the season, Baltimore currently sits below .500 and is sitting on the outside looking in for the American League wild card spots.

As we’ve seen countless times from Birdland over the last two years, there is again a growing chorus calling for Mike Elias to lose his job due to the Orioles’ underperformance. This renewed consternation for Elias and the front office comes after their most aggressive offseason in the 7+ years since Elias’ hiring — an offseason that saw Elias & Co. make their first major free-agent commitment with Pete Alonso.

It’s undoubtedly true that this Orioles team has failed to coalesce and become the contender many — including Baltimore’s front office —thought they’d be. After all, this team is only 4 games ahead of the pace of last year’s last-place team.

And yet, does that actually mean that the front office’s attempts to improve this team were all failures? As we reach the halfway point of the 2026 season, let’s grade the nine offseason moves that were supposed to transform this team.

The move: Signing OF Leody Taveras to a 1-year/$2M deal

The grade: C+

Taveras was signed to be outfield depth in CF the same way the O’s front office took chances on Ramón Laureano and Dylan Carlson last season. Through the first 30 games of his Oriole career, he looked like a Laureano-esque signing, hitting .277 with a .821 OPS while taking over the starting CF job from Colton Cowser.

Since the beginning of May, however, we’ve seen a noticeable drop-off from the former longtime Texas Ranger. In his last 126 ABs, Taveras is only hitting .238 with a .620 OPS while striking out 31% of the time.

This move still gets a passing grade as Taveras was a plus contributor throughout the first month-plus of the season and has allowed the Orioles to ride out an injury to Dylan Beavers and cold stretches from Cowser and Tyler O’Neill without having to resort to playing Triple-A talent in the Baltimore outfield.

The move: Trading RHP Grayson Rodriguez for OF Taylor Ward

The grade: B

Like Taveras, Ward started off the season incredibly hot and has cooled off as of late. Ward finished the first month of the season with a .304 average and an MLB-leading .438 on-base percentage and a . For an offense that was often struggling to find its rhythm, Ward was a consistent and elite producer at the top of the lineup.

Across May and June, his average has dipped to .223 and his OPS is down to .660, though he’s still maintained a strong .363 OBP amidst his struggles. We’ve yet to see anywhere close to the power output that Ward showed last year with the Angels, as he’s on pace for 40-45 extra-base hits after producing 69 for the Halos last season.

And yet, his on-base ability at the top of the lineup has been extremely valuable for Baltimore, and the front office will be faced with the tough decision of potentially trading his expiring contract at the deadline if the team’s play doesn’t improve. Given that the cost of acquiring Ward was only the perpetually injured G-Rod, this move has so far earned a solid, if not outstanding, grade.

The move: Signing 1B Pete Alonso to a 5-year/$155mdeal

The grade: A-

The Alonso signing was the biggest move the Orioles made this past offseason and his first three months in black and orange have been exactly what the O’s paid for. The five-time All-Star leads the Orioles in hits (74) and home runs (18), while his 52 RBIs are not only best on the team but good enough for fifth in the American League. The Polar Bear is also playing the best defense of his career in Baltimore. Alonso was paid to be the best player on this Orioles’ offense, and through the first half of the season, he’s been just that.

The only reason this signing doesn’t earn a higher grade is that Alonso started the season off cold. Through the first month of the season, the star 1B was slashing .198/.306/.362 with only four homers. Since then, he’s been blazing hot, slashing .282/.357/.547 with 14 long balls in his last 181 ABs. If not for that slow start, the Polar Bear is likely challenging Yordan Alvarez and Nick Kurtz for the status of best hitter in the AL.

The move: Trading RHP Kade Strowd and prospects for INF Blaze Alexander

The grade: B+

Our Tyler Young went into great detail yesterday about how Alexander has significantly outperformed the expectations placed on him when he was acquired to be a super utility player. On analytics alone, he might be the best hitter on this year’s team. His grade doesn’t surpass Alonso’s because his overall offensive impact has been much smaller. But it was still undoubtedly a strong move by the front office to acquire the 27-year-old from Arizona.

The moves: Trading for RHP Shane Baz, signing RHP Chris Bassitt and re-signing RHP Zach Eflin

The grade: C–

Elias & Co. made three moves to supplement the existing rotation options of Trevor Rogers, Kyle Bradish, Dean Kremer, Brandon Young and Cade Povich. The Baz trade (and subsequent extension) has been the most impactful acquisition. While his season ERA of 4.04 doesn’t jump off the page, he leads the Orioles with 89 IP and has put up a 2.62 ERA with a .223 BAA over his last seven starts. The former Ray is clearly a foundational piece that the O’s can build their rotation with going forward.

The other two veterans are what sink this grade. Perhaps including Efflin in this calculation is unfair because he only pitched 3.2 strong innings before blowing out his elbow and being lost for the season. Bassitt hasn’t been much better, posting a 5.27 ERA and 0.0 bWAR in 56.1 IP before landing on the IL with back discomfort two weeks ago.

Getting essentially zero positive impact from the $26.5M they invested in Eflin and Bassitt is far from ideal and may be enough to justify a lower grade. But the biggest swing was Baz, and that move looks better and better with each start, earning the front office a grade just above failing.

The moves: Re-acquiring RHP Andrew Kittredge and signing RHP Ryan Helsley to a 2-year/$28M deal

The grade: D-

The Orioles had a bad bullpen in 2025, with their relief corps ranking 25th in ERA at 4.57. The O’s went into this most recent offseason not only trying to patch the hole in their patchwork ‘pen, but also to find a new closer after another injury to Félix Bautista. The front office responded by reacquiring 36-year-old Andrew Kittredge and bringing in former All-Star closer Ryan Helsley.

Through the first half of the season, both have been plain bad. Kittredge is currently sporting a 6.11 and has more hits allowed (21) than strikeouts (16). Helsley is only slightly better with his 5.11 ERA in 12.1 IP, having missed most of the season due to right elbow inflammation.

The O’s currently sit 21st in bullpen ERA this season with most of that improvement coming via the strong seasons by Rico Garcia and Yennier Cano. And while the relative weakness of the bullpen isn’t this team’s biggest problem, it is certainly the place the front office failed to strengthen the most.

Good morning.

Evan Grant writes that the Texas Rangers were buoyed by the Tartan Army for the second time in a couple of weeks as Scottish soccer fans took in Texas’ 4-3 win from last evening.

Kennedi Landry writes that the World Cup visitors were treated to a unique and dominant and uniquely dominant appearance from Kumar Rocker in the victory.

Grant writes that the Rangers are dealing with a lack of pitching depth during one of their more grueling stretches, exacerbated by Jack Leiter hitting the IL.

MLB dot com’s Brian Murphy and Shanthi Sepe-Chepuru check out the latest All-Star vote update where Ezequiel Duran remains second in the AL second baseman vote.

Grant has the daily Corey Seager concussion recovery update where, like the rest of us, Seager remains day-to-day.

And, at FanGraphs, Dan Szymborski looks into the changes that MLB owners proposed for the draft and how much the changes would cost players (Spoilers: a lot).

Have a nice day!

You simply cannot deny that the Phillies have improved under Don Mattingly’s watch. Since Mattingly took over as interim manager after the firing of Rob Thomson on April 28th, the Phillies have gone 33-17 and resurrected their chances at defending their NL East division crown. That record is the best in MLB over that span entering Monday. Whether you thought this run was coming regardless of the manager or didn’t, Mattingly has to get credit for overseeing this dramatic turnaround.

That doesn’t mean that there haven’t been some interesting decisions from Mattingly along the way though. Most notably, he is more willing to push his starting pitchers further in the regular season than Rob Thomson was. Two examples of such came over the last week with Jesús Luzardo and Zack Wheeler. In Luzardo’s last start on June 16th, he threw 106 pitches in seven innings. It was the first time this season that Luzardo went over 100 pitches and the third highest pitch count he’s had in a start in his career. Mattingly elected to push Luzardo into the seventh inning despite the Phillies having an 8-0 lead and the lefty sitting at 89 pitches before the inning. Luzardo managed to get through the inning, but he did allow a double and a home run to the first two batters he faced.

The other example is more recent with Zack Wheeler on Sunday. Wheeler appeared to be tiring in the sixth when he allowed three walks to load the bases with one out in a 6-1 game. Jonathan Bowlan was warmed up and ready in the bullpen as Mattingly approached the mound, but the manager elected to leave Wheeler in for one more hitter despite the righty being at 101 pitches and the situation being somewhat precarious. Wheeler got A.J. Ewing to ground into a force out, but the Phillies weren’t able to turn a double play and a run scored. Mattingly then decided to remove Wheeler from the game after 104 pitches, tying his season high and only the second time he has gone over 100 pitches since his return from thoracic outlet surgery. Bowlan meanwhile was able to strike out Marcus Semien on four pitches to end the inning.

It’s clear that Mattingly has faith in his starters, and he has every reason to have that belief, as the Phillies rotation has the third best ERA (3.25) and fourth best WHIP (1.14) in baseball since he took over as manager. But it’s also reasonable to question the high pitch counts at this point in the season, especially in this case with two pitchers with injury histories like Luzardo and Wheeler. One unquestionable strength for Thomson during his time as manager was his ability to deliver the team, and especially his rotation, mostly healthy to the postseason. The jury is obviously still out for if Mattingly can do the same.

So, what do you think of Don Mattingly’s handling of pitchers? Do you like his tendency for longer leashes?

Rangers 4, Marlins 3

• That was a productive way to start a lengthy road trip.
• After Kumar Rocker had the best outing of his career roughly a monthly ago in Colorado, throwing 7.2 shutout innings while striking out seven after coming in behind an opener, I confidently predicted that the Rangers would do that again his next time out.
• The Rangers did not, in fact, do that again his next time out. Rocker was generally fine his next four starts, then got knocked around last week against the Twins, allowing seven runs, including two in the first.
• With a 9.69 ERA in the first inning of games coming into his start against Miami, compared to a 2.89 ERA in every other inning, Skip Schumaker went back to the opener well, having Tyler Alexander pitch the first inning, with Rocker following him.
• It is safe to say that it worked out well.
• After an uneventful 1-2-3 first from Alexander, Kumar Rocker pitched innings two through six, and did so in impressive fashion.
• Rocker faced 19 batters. He threw first pitch strikes to 16 of the 19. He struck out 9 of the 19. He allowed no walks, and gave up just two hard hit balls.
• Rocker’s slider has long been his money pitch, and Rocker had it working in spades Monday against the Marlins. He threw 39 sliders, resulting in 23 swings and 3 called strikes. 17 of the 23 swings against the slider resulted in whiffs, a remarkable 74% swing-and-miss percentage on the pitch.
• That’s the most whiffs off a slider that a major league pitcher has generated this season — Dylan Cease and Tatsuya Imai are next, at 15.
• Rocker went most slider/cutter, using his sinker and fastball just 18 times combined, and not throwing the changeup at all. The two pitch mix was working for him.
• The Marlins did get two runs off of Rocker. One came on a single-advance on ground out-wild pitch-sac fly sequence. The other came when Otto Lopez doubled with one out in the sixth, then came around to score on an Xavier Edwards triple. Edwards almost had an inside-the-park homer when Alejandro Osuna had misadventures fielding the ball in left field, but was thrown out at home.
• Overall, it was an outstanding outing for Rocker. Okay, yes, two runs in five innings isn’t outstanding, but if he pitches like he did in this game every time out, the Rangers will be in great shape.
• The Rangers didn’t take the lead for good until after Rocker left the game, so he didn’t get the W, though W’s for pitchers are outdated and not that meaningful. Robby Ahlstrom, who had an 8 pitch, 1-2-3 seventh, did get the W. Its his second career win, with the first coming retroactively, also in relief of Rocker, in the game where Rocker was pulled with two outs in the fifth and the official scorer originally awarded the win to Latz. That was originally changed to a win for Ahlstrom and a save for Latz.
• Speaking of Latz, he once again was asked to get a save of more than three outs, coming in with a two run lead with two outs in the eighth in relief of Jakob Junis. Latz allowed a double, allowing a run to score and putting the tying and go-ahead runs at second and third.
• I was nervous. I’ll admit it. Its okay. You can admit you were nervous, too.
• But an intentional walk was followed by a groundout, Latz retired the side in the ninth, and there was joy in Miami.
• Just, you know, not for the Miami fans.
• It was another game where you feel like the Rangers should have scored more runs than they did. A bunch of baserunners, a homer and a couple of doubles…there should have been more than four runs to cross the plate, right?
• The homer was by Ezequiel Duran, who came into the game in a 3 for 30 skid. He needed that.
• Brandon Nimmo had three hits and a walk, and we like that.
• Alejandro Osuna was thrown out at home trying to score in the fourth on a two out Elias Diaz single, and I thought he should have been called safe due to the Marlins’ catcher blocking the plate, but what do I know.
• Texas is back to 2 games under .500, and a game back of WC3. Wild Card Fever…catch it!
• Tyler Alexander topped out at 91.7 mph on his sinker. Kumar Rocker reached 95.9 mph on his sinker, averaging 94.2 mph. Robby Ahlstrom’s fastball maxed out at 95.1 mph. Jakob Junis’s sinker touched 93.3 mph. Jacob Latz hit 96.6 mph with his fastball.
• Jake Burger had a 111.4 mph line out. Elias Diaz had a 109.3 mph groundout. Brandon Nimmo had a 107.5 mph single, a 105.8 mph double and a 101.6 mph single. Alejandro Osuna had a 106.6 mph double. Joc Pederson had a 104.7 mph single. Ezequiel Duran had a 103.4 mph homer and a 100.7 mph GIDP. Wyatt Langford had a 102.5 mph groundout.
• One down, nine to go.

Meet the Mets

Mother Nature offered the Mets and their long-suffering fans a much-needed reprieve from terrible baseball by pouring buckets of water upon the tri-state area, which resulted in last night’s game being postponed. The Mets and Cubs will play a split-admission twin bill on Wednesday.

Francisco Lindor will suit up for the Syracuse Mets in another rehab game today. After that, he could return on Wednesday, or possibly on Thursday after a day off, if all goes well.

Lindor’s return means it’s now or never for the Mets to get back in the race, explains Anthony DiComo.

Juan Soto currently ranks sixth in All-Star voting among National league outfielders.

Ken Rosenthal doesn’t think it would be smart for the Mets to move on from David Stearns this offseason, saying, “He just needs to make better decisions.”

The team’s starting pitching woes is making consistency impossible, laments Laura Albanese.

Clay Holmes is just focused on returning to the Mets with trade rumors and his injury clouding his future.

The Mets are offering 26% off tickets for the homestand. to celebrate the Knicks’ 2026 championship. To add to the Knicks-centric celebrations this week, the club will have Mike Breen, Jose Alvarado, and Game 4 hero OG Anunoby throw out the first pitch throughout the homestand. The latter will throw out the first pitch to Jose Reyes during the Sunday finale.

Around the National League East

Matt Slater wrote about the consensus feeling among Phillies fans towards the World Cup.

The Marlins fell 4-3 to the Rangers to halt their four-game winning streak.

The Nationals defeated the Phillies 4-1 in an NL East showdown. In the process, they climbed to within 1.5 games of second place Philadelphia.

The Braves were blanked 1-0 by the Padres.

Around Major League Baseball

Shohei Ohtani recently welcomed his second child, and he celebrated by helping the Dodgers get back to No. 1 on the MLB Power Rankings.

The MLB.com staff looked at some first-time Home Run Derby participants they’d like to see this year.

Anthony Castrovince showed us what we’ve learned so far at the season’s midway point.

Drew Kaufman and Rob Terranova provided all the information we need to know before this week’s Draft Combine.

We got another update on All-Star balloting. The big surprise is Ernie Clement of the Blue Jays leading all American League players in voting. Clement trails only Ohtani in voting overall.

Pete Crow-Armstrong and Logan Gilbert were named National League and American League Players of the Week, respectively.

The Angels released Taijuan Walker after just five games.

Brandon Woodruff came off the IL last night and started against the Reds.

Mike Petriello argued that Tarik Skubal’s future may depend on how the Tigers fare against the Yankees, whom they play six times in the next ten games. Detroit got off to a good start on that stretch by beating the Bronx Bombers 5-3.

In defeat, Gerrit Cole suffered the roughest outing since his return from the IL.

The Royals topped the Rays 2-1.

The Blue Jays doubled up the Astros 4-2.

The Brewers outlasted the Reds 2-1 in 10 innings.

The Dodgers beat the Twins 2-1. Eric Lauer pitched six hitless innings for Los Angeles behind an opener to help the Dodgers pick up their 50th win of the season. On the downside, Kyle Tucker exited the game with back spasms and is officially listed as day-to-day, and Dalton Rushing exited the game and entered concussion protocol after taking a foul ball off the face mask.

The White Sox scored two in the bottom of the ninth after allowing two in the top of the ninth to walk off the Guardians 6-5. Sam Antonacci played hero with a two-run single off Cade Smith.

The Cardinals beat the Diamondbacks 3-2.

The Orioles beat up the flailing Angels 6-1.

The Rockies scored three in the ninth to stun the Red Sox 3-2. They ended the game with eight straight hits and a walk off that we haven’t seen in 20 years.

There was no shortage of suspense in yesterday’s MLB calendar, as it was the closest day of games in nearly 37 years.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

Brian Salvatore previewed the team’s series against the Cubs, which was supposed to begin last night but will instead kick off tonight after yesterday’s rain out.

Linus Lawrence provided a Monday Stat Party.

This Date in Mets History

Ron Hunt became the first Met to start an All-Star game on this date in 1964.

The Mets begin a four-game series against the Chicago Cubs at Citi Field on Tuesday night at 7:10 p.m. on SNY.

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Mets Notes

• Carson Benge is slashing .290/.333/.548 (.882 OPS) with two homers, one triple, and six runs scored over his last seven games. Dating back to April 23, Benge is hitting .296/.350/.471 (.821 OPS) with eight homers in 53 games
• Juan Soto is leading the National League with a .974 OPS and 171 OPS+
• Luke Weaver hasn't allowed a run since April 30, a span of 18 appearances during which he has allowed 10 hits in 20 innings while walking four and striking out 25
• Kodai Senga hasn't pitched beyond the fourth inning in any of his last four starts

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Today's Lineups

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While the product on the filed for the Braves is having some ups and downs at the moment, it appears many around baseball continue to think Atlanta is clearly a contender. And for some, the Braves are the contender that could make the most sense as the landing spot for coveted pitcher Tarik Skubal. While there is no proof the Braves have actually inquired on Skubal, Bob Nightengale discussed how the Braves could make sense as a trade partner for the Tigers. It would clearly be the biggest in-season acquisition Alex Anthopoulos has made in his time as the Braves’ head decision maker.

Braves News

The offense once again did not show up in a 1-0 loss to the Padres, despite plenty of chances to win.

Mark Bowman addresses the offense in his latest article, including Drake Baldwin going through the worst offensive stretch of his career. However, Atlanta remains confident they will endure the struggles and the offense will get going again soon.

Both Drake Baldwin and Ozzie Albies are in a good spot to start the All-Star game at their respective positions.

The latest MLB Draft profile for the Braves from Matt Powers is Arkansas catcher Ryan Helfrick.

Mauricio Dubon makes it clear he is open to an extension with the Braves.

Sandy Leon is back with the Braves on a minor league deal.

MLB News

Colorado beat the Red Sox in historic fashion.

The White Sox used a walk-off victory to once again take the top of the AL Central.

Sonny Gray could be open to a trade if the Red Sox become sellers.

On Monday, Colorado Rockies general manager Josh Byrnes met with media to answer questions. Below are a few takeaways from that conversation, which has been lightly edited for clarity.

On trading for Jack McCarthy after noticing his athleticism in the World Series:

The (Arizona Diamondbacks) had a lot of outfielders — left-hand hitting outfielders, so that’s part of it. . . Their athleticism was on display every night, and he was a big part of that, so we wanted to add some more athleticism, versatility to our team. He makes contact. He can play all three positions. So those were some of the things we were looking for — and he certainly had — and he’s played very well for us.

On trading for TJ Rumfield:

I think it’s so hard to evaluate hitting in the big leagues. As much as he’d accomplished in Triple-A, I think watching him, we always said, “He’s a creative hitter. You’re going to face righties, lefties, north, south, east, west, and he just seems like he’s got a very good contact skill.” But he’s very creative, and sort of thinking through at-bats when the count’s in his favor, when it’s not, and the consistency of his production. It’s nice to evaluate a player from afar and what he’s done in Triple-A — until you have to go do this every day. I think part of what makes him really good, we probably didn’t know until after we got him. I think he’s just a creative hitter and really can compete against a variety of major league arms.

On Rumfield’s defense:

He’s been really good. I think, first of all, the wingspan, even infielders’ throws, he saves some errors with that, and he’s done a nice job on balls hit to him so he’s been good there, too.

On having Mickey Moniak back:

He’s been great. Obviously, we missed his production. But from a clubhouse standpoint — all of us coming in here (knew) what his career has been, from first pick to the stops before he got here — I think we sensed he was primed to really be productive, but also be a leader for our group and help us think through how we can win games and all that goes into it, the game planning. I think the production is important, but I think behind the scenes is really important, too.

On what he’s learned about this team at the halfway point:

I feel like I said it behind the scenes. I’m really encouraged by the progress. I think we still have a long way to go. I think we have to always maintain our standards as we climb out of this thing. For two months, series by series, we’ve been very competitive — probably could have won more games, and in May, we just weren’t very good. So I’m really encouraged that we’re making progress. I’m really encouraged by the effort level and how much guys want to be better individually and as a team. And we’ve just got to maintain what we’re really after, which is winning and playing in October. We don’t want to be delusional. We’ve just got a ways to go, but I’m encouraged by the progress.

On areas where he’d like to see improvement:

I think the game is scoring runs and preventing runs. So in April, we’re probably better at preventing than scoring, and in June, we’ve been better at scoring than preventing. There’s a lot that goes into it. We’ve been tested with injuries. I think pitching is always going to be a challenge here when it’s tested over six months. And it’s our daily ritual of who’s available, who’s not. And it’s been done here before — build a pitching staff that’s playoff caliber and hopefully sustainable for several years. Not just the players, but the methods behind it. I think (that) is probably pretty high on the list for like what we’re trying to do.

On acquiring more pitching depth when it feels like there’s a lack of big-league-ready pitchers:

I think we need more upper-level pitching. We’ve found some in various ways. Andrew Baker is about to go to Triple-A, and we acquired him for international money. Blas Castaño was a waiver claim, etc. Eiberson Castellano was a minor-league free agent, so we’ve got to be always looking for that. And then, the bigger swings, if they materialize in a trade scenario or in the draft. But I would say in order to not be short there, which we probably are now, we just have to constantly be on the hunt for pitching, and hopefully up and down the organization

On MLB draft preparation and emphasizing pitching:

It’s not the roster-fill time of year. I think you’re just trying to add talent, and it takes shape as you get organized towards the big leagues. So I would say probably have a balance and just find the best players we can approaching the draft.

On the overcrowded outfield and the coming trade deadline:

We’re talking to teams constantly. I obviously won’t reveal too much about who or what we’re talking about, but I think teams usually make trades because they have depth there and can trade out of it, and then teams usually make trades because they’re “buyers” or “sellers.” I think some of that is pretty clear where our position is right now, so we’ve just got to touch the market, talk to people, and see if something makes sense to us.

On the value of plate discipline:

I think it’s a big ingredient with all things hitting. Really, for the last few years — majors and minors — it had been, like, 30th. And then you add in contact skills, so how hard you hit it. And then, you make good decisions, you make contact. So we’ve had to address that as best we could every day, every direction, and the players we got.

Even in June, we’ve been sort of average with respect to our chase rate and our contact skill across 30 teams, but we’re, like, third in runs scored. So if we get those in a better place, we can do more with them. They all fit together, and it is important to message it. It’s important to message it correctly but also to have guys come up from the minors — and we’re always tracking that. I think there’s been nine or so players who’ve made their debuts. Can you succeed at first when you’re first going through it? We’re trying to get these guys where when they come up here, they can compete and grow from there.

So, with Sterlin Thompson (No. 13 PuRP) and Cole Carrigg (No. 4 PuRP), they’ve done a nice job at that.

On what he finds encouraging:

First, the effort and enthusiasm, competitiveness is essential. The curiosity, how we’re going to make them better, and take it out on the field, and see some of the things we just talked about take shape. There’s improvement, and that leads to runs, or wins, or preventing runs. So, I think we’ve seen signs of that. I would still like to say it’s progress, not quite at the standard we’re going to need, but I think progress is a good thing. So that’s where we are now, and all of us are excited about the progress. We’ve just got to keep adding to it.

On what it would mean for fans to have a competitive Rockies team:

I just got off the phone with another GM about an hour ago, and he remarked on that — the sort of level his team had played here. The fans are here, they’re loud, they’re into it. I mean, we know from TV, social media, all that. I think it’s amazing, to be honest. The fanbase here is tremendous. I think they’re very optimistic and waiting, and the most important thing we can do is deliver a team they can root for, a team that wins, a team that plays in October. So, I think it’s added motivation. Our fans are here if we do our part, so it doesn’t go unnoticed.

On how Warren Schaeffer is doing:

I think he’s been outstanding. First and foremost, leadership, communication, the human being, but also the puzzle every day to try to win a game, injuries, bullpen availability, how he’s used our roster and communicated that to players, which is hard. I think he’s just done a terrific job of it. So I’m very, very impressed with what Schaeff’s done.

On what he’s learned about baseball in Colorado:

A lot of hits fall in. I guess I knew that, but when you’re seeing it, and your bullpen is a little short that night, “Are we gonna throw a few more pitches to get out of this?” I actually think that’s the most — aside from how pitches move or a fly ball carries — I think it’s just the amount of space, the availability of hits changes the game enough, and what that really means to you in terms of everything we’re talking about, like pitchers you choose or planning for your bullpen or fast outfielders who can catch a few of them, or in McCarthy’s case, any ball that touches the outfield grass is probably going to second. I just think the space affects the game almost constantly, so I would say that’s probably the main thing,

On valuing positional versatility:

Almost everybody — Ryan Ritter, Charlie Condon (No. 1 PuRP), you gone on down the list, Roldy Brito (No. 11 PuRP), all these guys — I think being able to play multiple positions at a good level, it’s good for you, it’s good for us. Let’s do it. And it requires some work, but for the most part, with some of those examples, it’s going very well.

On how he approaches promoting prospects:

It’s one of the things with players, I’m always, “Where’s he been?” “Where’s he now?” “Where’s he going?” And you sort of see him on a timeline. So where is he now? And if you’re in Triple-A and you think you should be in the big leagues, I often say to players, “You’re not a human being if you’re not a little, ‘Why am I not getting a shot?’” That’s a human reaction. We can explain a lot of it. There’s a lot that’s individual player’s readiness. What’s going on with the roster. There’s a lot of reasons, and I almost always say, “Maybe we’re right. Maybe we’re not. Your instinct is you’re ready. We’re saying not quite yet.” But I think the other thing, even talking to the teenagers in our system, we’re going to teach you and develop you based on major-league standards, not like passing this test or shooting for this field. From a player’s journey, only one promotion matters: This one. (He gestured at Coors Field.) Communicating that to them and what our thought process is is important.

Takeaways

For me, I thought Byrnes’ most interesting comments were about pitching and the “space” at Coors Field — and how the latter affects decisions they make with the former.

There’s a lot here, and I’ll be curious to hear your thoughts.

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Former Virginia Tech standout joins select MLB company with the Colorado Rockies | The Fighting Gobbler

Look, if you can link to a site called “The Fighting Gobbler,” you absolutely have to do it. In this case, the Gobblers in question are the Virginia Tech Hokies, Alma mater of Rockies first baseman TJ Rumfield. Scott Roche reviews Rumfield’s trip to Colorado and notes some of his accomplishments in purple pinstripes.

Never use an ABS Challenge in this one weird count | FanGraphs

We’ve been talking on the Purple Row board about the best strategy for using an ABS Challenge. Kiri Oler did some math — and Willi Castro and TJ Rumfield are mentioned.

Rockies’ crowded outfield will lead to tough roster decisions | Denver Gazette ($)

Kevin Henry asks the question we all have on our minds: What will Paul DePodesta do with all those outfielders? Here’s where he lands for now: “Here’s a potential scenario: Moniak and Doyle return to the Colorado roster with Thompson and catcher Braxton Fulford sent back to Triple-A. Beck finishes his rehab assignment with Albuquerque and stays with the Isotopes until he is no longer limited to being a platoon bat.”

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Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

Brian Murphy at MLB mothership has an update on Bobby Witt Jr’s recovery.

Bobby Witt Jr.’s sprained right knee kept him out of the Royals’ lineup for the third straight game Monday. But prior to the team’s series opener against the Rays, the star shortstop went through what manager Matt Quatraro called a “very encouraging” workout.

Witt — who has been sidelined since suffering a Grade 1 MCL sprain during Thursday’s game against the Cardinals — hit in the batting cage, ran the bases and fielded ground balls on Monday afternoon at Tropicana Field.

He did his on-field activity while wearing a brace over his injured knee, which Quatraro said Witt is still getting used to.

“We’re hopeful that in the next couple days, he’s available,” the manager said.

Jaylon Thompson at the KC Star also covered Witt’s workout.

“Felt good,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “You know, he’s been getting accustomed to wearing a brace. So we are trying to get used to that a little bit, but was very encouraging what we saw today.”

Entering Monday, Witt had missed the last two games and was not expected to play in Monday’s road game against the Tampa Bay Rays.

However, the Royals didn’t rule out a potential return this week. The club is hopeful Witt will play during the upcoming seven-game road trip.

Brian also covers Carter Jensen’s hot streak.

When his streak began on June 6, Jensen had elevated strikeout and whiff rates (30.2% and 32.6%, respectively). Since then, those numbers have plummeted to 15.5% and 18.4%. Meanwhile, Jensen’s hard-hit rate, which was 40.2% prior to the streak, is 53.3% over these past couple of weeks. And that rate went up when he smashed a cutter from Rasmussen back up the middle at 109.2 mph to drive in Nick Loftin.

“I think it all starts with just swinging at my pitches,” Jensen said of his recent success at the plate. “Not getting antsy at the plate to swing at everything or try to get the hit in the first two pitches of the at-bat. I think the strong thing that I do pretty well is take good at-bats. I think earlier in the season I was just trying to do too much with pitches that I couldn’t handle, such as pitches out of the zone.”

Pete Grathoff takes a look at the decision to bunt in the ninth inning of the 12-10 loss to the Cardinals.

But O’Brien got his first out when Kameron Misner’s sacrifice bunt put Massey and Thomas in scoring position. According to Baseball Reference, the Cardinals’ win probability had dropped from 98% to 67% when Misner stepped to the plate. The bunt pushed St. Louis’ win probability 4% higher. O’Brien then struck out pinch hitter John Rave, who was batting for Nick Loftin, and induced a groundout from left fielder Isaac Collins to end the game.

Sam McDowell examines two homers from Jac Caglianone’s recent outburst.

Royals second-year outfielder Jac Caglianone ripped a line drive 110.5 miles per hour and 404 feet into the back of the Cardinals’ bullpen Friday — which is directly to the opposite field.

It’s the kind of thing you rarely see: A left-hander hitting the ball the opposite way that hard and that far.

Except that Caglianone did the exact same thing the night before. On Thursday, he also blasted a home run 110.0 miles per hour, also the opposite way.

Witt remains the top AL SS vote-getter for the All-Star game.

SHORTSTOP

1. Bobby Witt Jr., Royals: 1,701,407
2. Andrés Giménez, Blue Jays: 894,926
3. Kevin McGonigle, Tigers: 460,075
4. Jeremy Peña, Astros: 357,049
5. Colson Montgomery, White Sox: 352,828

Witt is having another fantastic season as he is tops in the AL with 28 stolen bases and 4.4 FanGraphs WAR. However, a recent right knee sprain has his status a little up in the air right now. Barring a late surge from the rookie McGonigle or others, it looks like Witt will take on Giménez in Phase 2. Giménez was the AL’s starting second baseman in the 2022 Midsummer Classic, representing the Guardians. Witt is looking for his first All-Star start.

David Lesky takes a second to note that the recent offensive outburst is taking place without the main players we thought it might before the season.

It’s especially interesting because they’re doing so much of this damage without a good chunk of the crew we expected them to do any damage with. Vinnie Pasquantino is out for a bit. Maikel Garcia has been in and out of the lineup and hasn’t done much, at least power-wise, since April. Bobby Witt Jr. missed each of the last two games, and we have no idea how many more. Salvador Perez has played and had some big moments, but the numbers overall remain putrid. No, they’re doing a lot of this with some players we maybe didn’t expect, or, if we did, not this much. From that perspective, it’s been nice. Of course, it would be nicer if they were doing this with last year’s pitching staff because they’d sure have a lot more wins.

John Schreiber was apparently spitting fire last night. I totally missed that in the recap.

Jacob Milham writes about a few minor league players who may be the next guys up.

Boston Red Sox pitcher Sonny Gray may be open to a trade.

White Sox catcher Kyle Teel returned from the IL.

The Brewers placed Luis Rengifo on waivers.

Possible trade scenarios for Tarik Skubal.

Lionel Messi now is the sole holder of the World Cup goals scored record.

Kylian Mbappé scored two goals yesterday as he tries to catch up to Messi’s new record.

Norwegian Erling Haaland also scored two goals in yesterday’s win over Senegal. Not to brag, but my son picked his number 9 for soccer.

Kansas City doesn’t seem to be experiencing any sort of small business boon.

The Milwaukee Bucks have finally traded star Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Trae Young is signing a 4/$212M deal to stay with the Washington Wizards.

The Timberwolves are trading Julius Randle to the Brooklyn Nets.

Michigan basketball coach Dusty May is reportedly set to become the new Dallas Mavericks head coach.

How the Chiefs can adjust their run scheme to accommodate star RB Kenneth Walker.

Oklahoma won the Men’s College World Series with a 13-2 victory over North Carolina yesterday.

Linda Cohn is leaving Sportscenter.

A running list of tech company layoffs in which the company cited AI. The list is not comprehensive.

The Steam Machine goes on sale soon with a $1049 price tag.

Your song of the day is Thank You Scientist with Everyday Ghosts. Buckle up it’s a long one.

It is almost time to turn the calendar to July. Over the next month, the Orioles farm could be drained if the team plays well enough for Mike Elias to try to make real upgrades at the trade deadline. Or it could be stocked again if things go the other way. A lot depends on how the major league team plays.

The minor league teams play on regardless. The lone Orioles affiliate that’s doing well is Frederick, who won its first half division title and is guaranteed a postseason berth. Probably by then many of the players who participated in that will have moved up to Double-A. A-ball leagues moved into the second half over the weekend. Triple-A and Double-A start the second half of their season today.

These weekly updates focus on the team’s top prospects, particularly those on Camden Chat’s composite top 20 Orioles prospect list from before the season. They also include other guys who interest me who might develop into prospects over time. I do not tend to spend much time on non-prospect journeymen.

Here’s how things went this week:

Triple-A Norfolk Tides

• Last week’s results: 2-4 at Syracuse (Mets)
• This week’s opponent: vs. Durham (Rays)
• Season record: 28-47, t-ninth/last place (19 GB) in International League East

Jud Fabian will not let us forget about him entirely. The outfielder hit three homers in five games played this week. That didn’t even lead the Tides: 28-year-old journeyman infielder José Barrero hit five, giving him 17 for the season, which leads Norfolk. That was prodigious power, at least among these two guys for this week.

Unfortunately, two guys more worth watching as prospects, Enrique Bradfield and Creed Willems, did not join in on the party. Bradfield batted 6-23, which isn’t bad, but with only one double, the .304 slugging percentage for the week (and .311 for the season) is sad. Creed Willems at 3-17 hitting with no extra-base hits had an even sadder week. Willems, at least, is still OPSing .829 for the year.

Injured major leaguer Dean Kremer started a rehab assignment here over this past week. His first outing saw him toss 3.2 innings with a run allowed on two hits and two walks. Since Kremer has been out for a while, I expect this rehab should go for a few more starts. After Kremer’s rehab start, pitching prospect Nestor German came in for some bulk relief. German also made a start this week, allowing four runs over 10.1 innings. Two dingers elevated his earned run total this week, though this isn’t a recurring problem for him.

Others of interest

• RHP Anthony Nunez – Two outings after being optioned to Norfolk, three runs allowed in 2.2 IP
• LHP Andrew Magno – Just keeps on putting up zeroes, 2.1 scoreless innings in one game this week, now a 0.59 ERA in 26 games. I like the idea of him more than I like Keegan Akin.
• OF Heston Kjerstad – 5-23 with a double and a homer led to a .699 OPS for the week, now .676 for the season. That’s not going to be what gets him back to MLB.

Norfolk season-to-date stats.

Double-A Chesapeake Baysox

• Last week’s results: 4-2 vs. Richmond (Giants)
• This week’s opponent: vs. Harrisburg (Nationals)
• Season record: 29-39, last place (14 GB) in Eastern League Southwest

We must, of course, first check in on Joseph Dzierwa, and I am pleased to be able to share further good results from him: In his start this week, he struck out eight batters in six innings, allowing just two hits and one walk. That’s a 0.50 WHIP for the start, giving him a 0.949 WHIP in six games since getting promoted here. The hype train is still building steam. That’s a great K/BB.

Not quite as much steam on the hype train for fellow Chesapeake pitching prospect Luis De León, who gave up three runs in 4.1 innings, with five hits and three walks allowed. These are fairly characteristic outings of how both pitchers have been doing so far this season.

The Baysox offense was on a heater this week, fueling what’s been an uncommon winning week for them. Prospects who are worth following on this team were a part of that, with Ethan Anderson as just one of four Baysox who had two homers over these six games. Another, Douglas Hodo, has homered four times in eight games since returning from a nearly two-month stay on the injured list on June 9. My guy Aron Estrada had one homer in 12 AB over four games played.

Others of interest

• OF Dylan Beavers – Hitless in nine at-bats as he started a rehab assignment, though he did draw four walks
• LHP Cade Povich – Also started a rehab: 3.1 scoreless innings with three strikeouts
• LHP Sebastian Gongora – 24-year-old pitched twice this week, allowing just two runs in 10.1 innings. Sitting at a 3.42 ERA, 1.259 WHIP for the season to date.
• LHP Micah Ashman – 3.2 scoreless innings across two relief outings with just one hit allowed, 1.73 ERA in 16 games

Chesapeake season-to-date stats.

High-A Frederick Keys

• Last week’s results: 5-2 vs. Hub City (Astros)
• This week’s opponent: at Wilmington (Nationals)
• Second half record: 2-1, t-second place (1 GB) in South Atlantic League North
• Frederick won its first half division with a 41-23 record

Frederick continues to be the Orioles farm team most worth checking out and that’s even with Dzierwa not staying for long. I wonder how many of these other guys will be promoted soon. Their offense was led in these games by Victor Figueroa hitting three homers; the big man from last year’s Padres deal leads the whole organization with 20 dingers in 60 games. My sources say that’s good.

Also doing well this week were other hitters, including Ike Irish (6-20 with three XBH and four walks), Braylin Tavera (6-14 with four doubles and a homer), and RJ Austin (7-22, all singles, four walks, four stolen bases). This is a strong lineup with some recent draftees and still-young players. The team earned its first half title and guys like these were part of why.

The pitching staff isn’t too shabby either! Frederick’s 4.07 team ERA leads the South Atlantic League. They are close to the league lead in strikeouts and have a league-best home run allowed rate. Notable over this past week was six shutout innings pitched by Yeiber Cartaya (1.99 ERA in 12 games), a Boston Bateman start with seven strikeouts over 5.1 innings, and JT Quinn striking out six in a game where he allowed two runs over five innings.

Others of interest

• SS Wehiwa Aloy – Did not join in the hitting party this week, just 5-22, all singles
• RHP Kiefer Lord – Nine strikeouts and no walks over a 6.2 inning start; Lord’s struggled for the season so hopefully there’s something to build on from this outing

Frederick season-to-date stats.

Low-A Delmarva Shorebirds

• Last week’s results: 2-4 vs. Myrtle Beach (Cubs)
• This week’s opponent: at Fayetteville (Astros)
• Second half record: 2-1, t-first place in Carolina League North (first half: 23-43, last place)

The records getting wiped between the first and second half of a minor league season is great news for Delmarva. They are off to a nice start in the first handful of games that count as the second half.

Recent attention here has been paid to a couple of infielders, DJ Layton and Jaiden Lo Re. These guys are walking a lot. That continued over these games, with Layton drawing six walks to help his weekly OPS even though he batted just 3-15. Lo Re went 6-20 with three walks. Another young infielder, Elvin Garcia, hit his first homer of the season as part of a 5-17 week. Garcia is up to a .770 OPS for the season after this performance.

Outfielder Jordan Sanchez led the way with seven hits in only four games. Sanchez is batting .500 and slugging .750 in the month of June. The 20-year-old Cuban outfielder is not among the more heralded guys in the system, but if he can sustain a hot stretch of baseball, he might be able to make more of a prospect name for himself.

Delmarva’s pitchers… look, the team has a 5.60 ERA. There are some tough stat lines every week and for the season overall. One of the preseason hype prospects was 19-year-old righty Esteban Mejia. He walked six batters in a 1.1 inning start. This is not an outlier start for his season: He has a 12.3 BB/9. Geez.

Delmarva season-to-date stats.

**

In last week’s minor league player of the week poll, Delmarva’s Jaiden Lo Re was the choice of 50% of voters to make our seventh different winner in seven weeks of the poll. Other winners have been: Victor Figueroa, Payton Eeles, Braylin Tavera, Caden Hunter, Ike Irish, and Wehiwa Aloy.

We could have a repeat winner this week as at least one prior winner has played well enough to end up on this poll. Will this be the first two-time champion of the season? The choice is yours.

Welcome back to the Minor League Roundup!

As a reminder, you can find this roundup — covering everything you need to know about each of the Brewers’ minor league affiliates — every Tuesday morning right here on Brew Crew Ball. For consistency, all organizational prospect rankings will reference MLB Pipeline unless otherwise noted.

Triple-A Nashville Sounds (43-32)

Opponent this week: @ Memphis Redbirds (St. Louis Cardinals)

Record this week: 2-4

Standout performances:

Jeferson Quero (No. 7): 9-for-21, 1 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 1 BB, 4 K
Luke Adams (No. 11): 6-for-16, 1 2B, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 5 BB, 3 K
Akil Baddoo: 5-for-15, 1 2B, 3 HR, 13 RBI, 3 BB, 8 K
Tyler Black: 5-for-15, 1 3B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 5 BB, 3 K
Garrett Stallings: 5.2 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
Tyson Hardin (No. 16): 6.2 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K

Jeferson Quero is now slashing .274/.372/,452 over the last month. That line is good for an .824 OPS, which ranks second on the Sounds (among qualified batters) to only Akil Baddoo (1.027).

One batter who doesn’t qualify is 1B/3B Luke Adams. Since he was activated from the injured list on June 2nd, Adams is slashing .300/.470/.760 (1.230 OPS) in 50 at-bats. This stretch, as you might be able to tell from his sky-high slugging percentage, has coincided with the best power surge in Adams’ professional career. The twenty two-year-old Adams has hit exactly 11 home runs in each of his three full seasons with the Brewers’ organization, but after hitting three this week (in the same game, nonetheless) he’s now hit seven over the last three weeks.

Baddoo was activated from the IL a little over a week prior to Adams, and he’s also been one of the Sounds’ best hitters since. Baddoo is hitting .275 with a .992 OPS in 24 games (80 at-bats) this season. At twenty seven-years-old, he’s not the future, but he’s been playing well enough to warrant a look should one of the Brewers’ backup outfielders go down.

Deja Baddoo

This one is GRAND though. pic.twitter.com/Cgu3UNcoZF

— Nashville Sounds (@nashvillesounds) June 17, 2026

If a starting outfielder were to miss time, it’s likely the call would go to the recently-extended Luis Lara (No. 5). Lara had a rough week (3-for-21, 5K), but he still ranks second on the Sounds in OPS with an .873 OPS. Jett Williams (No. 3) also went 3-for-21, but all of his hits were home runs, giving him a .788 OPS on the week despite a .143 batting average. Williams is now hitting just .217 with a .702 OPS this season.

Tyson Hardin went 6 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on six hits and striking out five as he picked up a win. In seven starts since his promotion to Triple-A, Hardin sports a 2.25 ERA and 0.95 WHIP. He’s struck out 41 batters in 40 innings with only twelve walks. Not bad for a pitcher who started more games in High-A (11) than Double-A (10) last season. It’s looking more and more likely that Hardin will make his first big-league appearance sometime this year.

Garrett Stallings also had a solid start for the Sounds, going 5 2/3 innings while giving up six hits, but only two earned runs. Mark Manfredi struck out five in three relief appearances (3 1/3 innings).

Next week’s opponent: vs. Gwinnett Stripers (Atlanta Braves)

Double-A Biloxi Shuckers (35-30)

Opponent this week: vs. Columbus Clingstones (Atlanta Braves)

Record this week: 3-1

Standout performances:

Dylan O’Rae: 8-for-16, 2 2B, 2 3B, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 3 K
Jesús Made: 8-for-16, 1 2B, 1 HR, 10 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K
Eric Brown Jr.: 6-for-14, 1 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K
Mike Boeve: 6-for-15, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K
Josh Adamczewski: 6-for-18, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 0 BB, 4 K
Cameron Wagoner: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
Bishop Letson: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
Yorman Galindez: 6.0 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
Jaron DeBerry: 5.0 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Manuel Rodriguez: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

The Shuckers’ week was extremely chaotic due to inclement weather rolling through the Biloxi area. Originally, this series was supposed to have seven games — as opposed to the usual six — because of a makeup game that was first scheduled for May 9th.

Five different games this week got suspended, cancelled, or pushed to later in the week because of weather, so Biloxi and Columbus only ended up with four completed games. The first game of the series, originally scheduled for June 16th, got rescheduled two different times. It was a crazy week down in Mississippi, but the Shuckers managed to pull through and win three of the four games.

Jesús Made hit .500 with 10 RBIs in 16 at-bats. That sentence speaks for itself. Biloxi scored 30 runs this week, so Made personally knocked in 1/3 of the Shuckers’ runs.

Jesús Made HAMMERS one to right.

With this homer, MLB's No. 1 overall prospect (@Brewers) has 10 hits and 9 RBIs in his past 7 games for the Double-A @BiloxiShuckers. pic.twitter.com/tkzThoaYw4

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 21, 2026

Dylan O’Rae, the Brewers’ third round-pick back in 2022, has continued to produce this year after missing all of 2025 due to a wrist injury. O’Rae, who’s still only twenty two-years-old, is now hitting .318 with an .853 OPS in 201 at-bats. As I’ve said before in previous editions of this column, keep an eye on him.

Let’s check in on Josh Adamczewski and Andrew Fischer in their first week in Double-A:

Adamczewski: 6-for-18, 2B, 3 K

Fischer: 4-for-14, 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 5 K

As a reminder, the jump from High-A to Double-A is often cited as the hardest jump for a prospect to make. Nothing but encouraging results from both players so far.

Andrew Fischer? Fishing for a triple 🎣

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— Biloxi Shuckers (@BiloxiShuckers) June 19, 2026

Blake Burke (4-for-15, 2 2B, HR) and Mike Boeve (6-for-15, 2B, HR) both continue to hit. Burke has been one of the biggest breakouts in the organization over the last calendar year and deserves all the love that he gets. Boeve, despite being ranked as a top-10 organizational prospect just last year, hasn’t gotten the love that he deserves. Over the last month (80 at-bats), Boeve has hit exactly .300 with a .753 OPS. Not Burke numbers, at least power-wise, but he’s producing while showing off his plate discipline and ability to get on base — two of the tools that scouts loved coming into the 2023 draft.

As for the pitching staff, Cameron Wagoner, Bishop Letson, and Yorman Galindez all impressed in their outings. Letson, the Brewers’ highest-ranked pitching prospect, struggled early in his first Double-A season and still owns a 4.60 ERA and 1.43 WHIP on the year. However, he’s looked much sharper of late. Over his last four starts (21.1 innings), Letson has posted a 2.11 ERA and 1.17 WHIP while striking out more than a batter per inning. He appears to be settling in at Double-A, making the Brewers’ No. 8 prospect one to watch over the coming weeks.

Next week’s opponent: @ Montgomery Biscuits (Tampa Bay Rays)

High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (34-28)

Opponent this week: @ Quad Cities River Bandits (Kansas City Royals)

Record this week: 3-2

Standout performances:

Braylon Payne: 8-for-15, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 3 BB, 1 K
Josiah Ragsdale: 8-for-21, 2 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 3 BB, 5 K
Daniel Dickinson (No. 27): 5-for-14, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K
Eric Bitonti: 7-for-21, 1 2B, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 3 BB, 10 K
Wande Torres: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K
Jayden Dubanewicz (No. 24): 5.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
Josh Knoth (No. 21): 4.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K

With Adamczewski and Fischer now in Double-A, offensive firepower will be a bit harder to come by up in Appleton. Luckily, the T-Rats still have Braylon Payne and Josiah Ragsdale, although they won’t for long if both keep hitting the way they have this season.

After this week, Payne is now hitting .282 with a .989 OPS, 13 home runs, and 10 doubles. That’s a significant step forward from his first full season in the Brewers’ organization last year, when he hit .240 with a .736 OPS, eight home runs, and nine doubles. Payne is beginning to look like a player worthy of the first-round pick Milwaukee spent on him in 2024, and if he continues producing at this level, he could join Adamczewski and Fischer in Double-A before long.

PAYNE WITH SOME POWER🏋️‍♂️💥

A two-run homer from Braylon Payne extends the lead. He's homered in back-to-back games!

8th Inning: Wisconsin 11 | Quad Cities 5 #tratnation@payne_braylonpic.twitter.com/JaTYAKYDz7

— Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (@TimberRattlers) June 17, 2026

Payne’s stats are ridiculous, but Ragsdale — drafted in the seventh round in 2025 — isn’t far behind. He’s hitting .316 (.357 over the last month) with a .919 OPS and five home runs in 190 at-bats this year. Ragsdale is already twenty-two, so he’ll probably get moved up relatively soon if he keeps producing.

☄️‼️ RAGSDALE GOES YARD ‼️☄️

Josiah Ragsdale launches a lead-off home run and the Rattlers jump out in front.

Rattlers 1 | River Bandits 0#tratnationpic.twitter.com/F9fIir9sdH

— Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (@TimberRattlers) June 17, 2026

Former LSU star Daniel Dickinson, the Brewers’ sixth-round pick in 2025, has quietly brought his OPS up to .655 after hitting .241 with a .795 OPS over the last month. The season-long numbers don’t look great yet for Dickinson, especially given that he’s the same age as Ragsdale (and Andrew Fischer), but he appears to be figuring things out at the plate.

Jayden Dubanewicz went five innings in his second start with the Timber Rattlers, giving up six hits but just a single earned run. He didn’t walk anybody and struck out six. Josh Knoth gave up a pair of earned runs in 4.1 innings, but only gave up three hits and struck out seven. Knoth, who missed last season due to Tommy John surgery, now has a 2.70 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP through his first five starts (16 2/3 innings) this season.

Brewers No. 21 Prospect Josh Knoth was DEALING on the mound this week 🔥

Josh threw a season high of 7 K in 4.1 IP and had 2 ER. #tratnation@joshknoth1pic.twitter.com/CyOgcm2CdB

— Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (@TimberRattlers) June 19, 2026

Next week’s opponent: vs. Cedar Rapids Kernels (Minnesota Twins)

Single-A Wilson Warbirds (36-30)

Opponent this week: vs. Charleston RiverDogs (Tampa Bay Rays)

Record this week: 3-3

Standout performances:
Filippo Di Turi: 6-for-17, 2 2B, 1 3B, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 3 K
Juan Ortuno: 6-for-20, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 4 BB, 0 K
Handelfry Encarnacion: 7-for-24, 3 2B, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 4 BB, 5 K
Joey Broughton: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
Jarrette Bonet: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
Andrew Healy: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
Hayden Robinson: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K

Di Turi, Ortuno, and Encarnacion were the only Warbirds to hit .292 or better in more than 10 at-bats. While the stats out of Wilson aren’t as impressive as some of the Brewers’ other affiliates, there’s still a lot to look forward to down in North Carolina.

The nineteen-year-old Encarnacion is only hitting .227 on the season, but he’s one extra base hit away from being tied with Jose Anderson for the most on the team. He’s also walked 53 times in 65 games (251 at-bats). Brady Ebel (No. 13) isn’t hitting for average either, but he’s showing enough power (18 extra-base hits, including four home runs). Ebel’s also walking a lot, with 57 walks in 234 at-bats. Despite their youth, both hitters have shown patience at the plate and have been making good swing decisions — things the Brewers look for in their players.

Handelfry Encarnacion threw a runner out at the plate in the top of the first, and then led off the bottom half with a homer. pic.twitter.com/wtFlcnhwrX

— Spencer Michaelis (@smichaelis234) June 17, 2026

Ortuno, a nineteen-year-old infielder, now has a .738 OPS on the season. His .250 batting average ranks third on the Warbirds after Luis Lameda (.303) and Pedro Ibarguen (.280). None of those prospects are ranked as top-30 prospects, but all are producing despite being too young to order a beer at a bar in North Carolina. With a system as deep as the Brewers’, sometimes prospects get lost in the shuffle, and sometimes prospects come from seemingly out of nowhere (Tyson Hardin, for example) to become legitimate prospects. All three of those players are producing at a young age — I wouldn’t be surprised if one of the three, or Encarnacion, ended up as as a top-30 guy sometime in the future.

Juan Ortuno had slowed down a bit of late, but he just went deep for the third time this season. He’s got a .741 OPS with 16 SB and a K% of 18.8% as a 19 year old in Low-A. pic.twitter.com/dDfmK8GlEI

— Spencer Michaelis (@smichaelis234) June 18, 2026

Same goes for the pitching — Joey Broughton, Jarrett Bonet, and Andrew Healy all went at least four innings this week while allowing one run or less. Even if you’ve heard of Bonet, you may not have heard of the other two. Keep an eye on Broughton, who was part of the same 2024 class as Hardin, Dubanewicz, and Ethan Dorchies. The left-hander, signed out of high school, hadn’t pitched until this year after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2024. In eight appearances this year between the Arizona Complex League and Single-A, Broughton has a 2.24 ERA with 27 strikeouts in 22 1/3 innings.

Next week’s opponent: @ Fredericksburg Nationals (Washington Nationals)

Player of the Week

Adams, who spent two months on the injured list last season and missed another six weeks this season. As I touched on earlier, Adams has found his power stroke since returning. The twenty two-year-old has always had raw power, but — much like Blake Burke — it hadn’t really translated to games yet.

I haven’t been able to dive into his film much in recent weeks, but aside from any mechanical adjustments, what we’re seeing now may be the natural progression of a prospect who’s getting older and beginning to turn more of that raw power into in-game power. Adams has posted some seriously impressive exit velocities since his return, including a home run on Sunday that left his bat at 113.3 mph. That’s not a flukey minor-league homer, that’s legitimate plus raw power and a significant development for a player that has always had elite plate discipline. If his power surge is for real, watch out.

Luke nukes 🚀⚾️ Luke Adams slugged three out of the park today for his first career multi-HR game. pic.twitter.com/NacJqAQEol

— Nashville Sounds (@nashvillesounds) June 21, 2026

Play of the Week

This is the second time Blake Burke has won Play of the Week in the last five weeks. I don’t want to hear another “yeah, but he’ll need to hit enough to DH” take for a while.

Oh, did we mention Blake Burke can play one heck of a first base too??

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— Biloxi Shuckers (@BiloxiShuckers) June 21, 2026